All pet owners want a dog with a shiny coat.  Your dog’s coat condition and care will largely depend on the type of breed.  Different breeds call for different nutrition and grooming schedules.  Most dogs look their best with a nice shiny coat, and many owners struggle to get the healthiest look possible.   If your dog does not have a shiny coat, there are several steps you can take to ensure you are doing everything you can at home to bring out the best in your dog’s appearance.

Regular brushing and de-shedding

Regular brushing is a fantastic way to aid in keeping your dog’s coat shiny.  Brushing activates a dog skin to start producing oils which in turn make the dog’s coat shiny and healthy.  Some dogs’ coats need a daily brushing, while others’ can skip a day or two.

Appropriate bathing

Some dogs need a bath once a week others can go longer to keep them clean and their skin/coat healthy.  Again, the type of dog and condition of his/her skin can play a factor in determining how frequently to bathe your dog. A high-quality dog shampoo specially formulated for your dog will ensure gentle care.

Grooming for keeping your dog’s coat shiny

A good grooming session will leave your pet looking his/her absolute best.  Groomers spend extra time and often have special products and tools, just like a visit to the hair salon for you!  If you start to notice that you just cannot get your pet looking its best, then a trip to the groomers is probably needed.

What can dull your dog’s coat?

Inadequate nutrition, medical issues, stress, anxiety, and even a lack of exercise can all cause your dog’s coat to be dull.  If you’re still not happy with your dog’s coat after regular brushing, bathing, and grooming, then it might be time to visit the vet’s office for a check-up.  Sometimes a change in diet or medication is all it takes – and your pet will start to feel better as well!

If you think your dog’s coat could look shinier a good first step would be to check with your groomer and veterinarian.  

Just like humans, dogs experience significant stress, which can lead to anxiety.  We have all heard of the stereotypical examples of dogs reacting to being in the car (for fear of the vet), fireworks, and entering new spaces.  Fear of leaving you, large crowds, other dogs, and moving can also cause emotional issues and increase your dog’s anxiety.

How do you know if your dog has anxiety?

Well, since they cannot speak, you have to watch for certain cues.  Dogs experiencing anxiety may bark aggressively, run around your home out of control, or withdraw trembling, hiding, or not leave your side.  Any behavior that is peculiar could be a cause for concern.

What can you do to ease your dog’s anxiety?

It is always a good idea to talk to your veterinarian about your dog’s anxiety. A qualified professional will be able to determine if your pet has a medical problem or if there are certain environmental changes that can be made

Spend time with your best friend

Having a close bond with you can help your pet through times of change and when they have to be alone.  When you spend time with your dog, they know you care and will be assured you will always be there for them.  However, be careful not to over-coddle your pet.  Sometimes when you try to snuggle or lay too close, they may think feel threatened and that they are being attacked.

Reducing noise to help ease your dog’s anxiety

A quieter environment can be helpful if your dog is stressed.  This is especially important if you live in a city, or during times of extreme noise, like fireworks.  Keep music and TV volumes low.

Let’s go outside!

Being outdoors can be one of the best things for your dog’s anxiety and help ease a stressed-out pooch.  Dogs love to interact with nature, and it can help them relax by enjoying the sunshine and finding places to explore and sniff. Just like it can be for humans, exercise is a fantastic mood-lifter for dogs.

Time to get social

Socialization is important for dogs who are stressed when around other pets.  Your best friend may have a hard time making other furry friends.  Take care when visiting a dog park. One bad experience could cause future problems and only increase your dog’s anxiety, so to ease into social situation, it’s a good idea to avoid aggressive animals.  Always ask other dog owners before approaching too closely, “Is your dog friendly?” and then carefully observe interaction once given the O.K.

Getting your dog through an anxious time can be a great bonding experience for you and your best friend.  Quiet baths, playtime outdoors, and appropriate snuggle time will give them the emotional assurance they need when navigating the world with and without you.

Just like babies and young children, new puppies and even older dogs can get into dangerous situations at home. We often think that our most important task when it comes to home safety for dogs is to stop them from chewing on furniture, but there are other significant safety hazards that should be avoided at all costs. While dogs do have an innate sense that keeps them away from danger, there are a few problems that owners can take measures to guard against.

Following are some tips on home safety for dogs

During bath time

Bathing your dog should be a time of bonding and fun for you and your best furry friend. Make sure to keep the water at the right temperature to avoid burns, and never leave your dog alone in the water.

Chemicals and other dangerous substances

There are many items in our homes that are safe for humans to use but not ingest — cleaners, medications, and lawn chemicals, are good examples. However, dogs explore the world by closely sniffing and tasting what they find, and they do not know what is harmful. Even sugar-free gum is a hazard if it contains xylitol, which, taken in small amounts, can be fatal to dogs.

Be sure to keep these and other substances out of reach of your dog, in high cupboards or locked closets. Secure their packaging by tightly screwing lids on bottles and jars, pack any items that come in bags (which dogs can chew threw if they are interested) into tough plastic totes or pails — better yet, the kind that have locking lids.

Chewing:

Dogs, especially young puppies, like to chew on everything. This can include electric cords, sharp objects, your mouth guard left on your bedside table, and even small game pieces. All of these items can be dangerous for your pet. Secure these items from reach while keeping a variety of safe chew toys easily accessible around your home. Additionally, spend time working with your pet to ensure they know what is safe.

Outside:

Most dogs love to spend time outside exploring in your yard. However, danger can lurk at every turn. Carefully lock down your grill, tools, lawn chemicals, and fire pit, as these are all could be dangerous to your pet. Also take note of any lattice around your deck and fencing in your hard, which could be hazardous. While some dogs like to swim, be careful that they only have supervised access if they are allowed in the water.

A final tip on home safety for dogs

Dogs can get into every nook and cranny of your house. It is often hard to know what new interesting smell they will go after, and how they will try to maneuver around your home in dangerous areas. Your garage is another area to look over and ensure everything in it is no danger to pets. A few cabinet locks and some other basic precautions will do the trick. When it comes to home safety for dogs, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

What should I look for when selecting a dog brush?

Whether you are a dog groomer or a dog owner, you share a common goal: you want to be sure you’re selecting a dog brush that makes a dog look spectacular and takes the absolute best care of their coat and fur. Following is information that we hope can guide you when selecting a dog brush.

For dog owners:

To keep your best friend looking their best, daily brushing is recommended. You want to ensure that the hair remains tangle free, shiny and as healthy as possible. If you have a breed of dog that sheds often, daily brushing will help keep the hair outside and off your carpet and floors. Make sure when selecting a dog brush, you choose one that is good for de-matting to have on hand in case you need to take care of an emergency mat situation, but also one that can handle the coat on a regular basis for maintenance brushing, to prevent as many problems as possible.

For dog groomers:

When you take care of a client’s dog, we know you want the owner to be completely satisfied with the outcome. We know your goal each time is returning a dog to its owner with a nice shiny coat that is well-brushed and completely tangle free. A good dog brush can help you do that.

For dog owners and groomers alike, brushing is a big part of pet care

Since it’s done frequently and can be hard work if not done right, it’s good to have a brush that has an ergonomic quality to make the work of brushing easier on you (and on the dog’s coat!). With this in mind, it’s good to go about selecting a dog brush that fits nicely in your hands. The curve of the brush is particularly important, as it should fit your hand and feel comfortable while you are using it.

Here at Les Poochs, we have designed our dog brushes to handle all of your needs. We use tested designs, and offer a variety of options, to ensure they provide exemplary service for you, your pet, or in the case of groomers—your business. Regardless of breed of dog and the particular coat they have, you can be sure when selecting a dog brush, that our brushes do the trick to keeping dogs’ coats as healthy as possible.

Caring for long haired dogs can be easy as long as you do simple regular maintenance so their coat can always be easily and beautifully maintained.

If your best friend is a long-haired dog, you know that they require a bit of extra care. You want to ensure that they look their best at all times and that their hair remains tangle and mat-free. If you have a Lhasa Apso, Maltese, Shih Tzu, or Terrier (just to name a few), you may struggle with keeping your dog’s long hair looking fabulous all of the time. Following are some tips for caring for long haired dogs so their coat can always be easily and beautifully maintained.

Regular Grooming

A regular visit to the groomers is the best way to ensure your dog’s coat remains as clean and tangle free as possible. This is especially important for long haired dogs. A good groomer has special techniques to clean the fur and work out every possible issue with long hair.

Bathing

In between trips to the groomer, regular bathing is important. Dirt and debris can weigh down your dog’s coat and create tangles. A high-quality dog shampoo free of soap will leave your dog’s coat clean every single time. Follow this up with a good dog conditioner or creme rinse to ensure a silky smooth coat that is free of tangles. When you are going through the process of bathing your dog, make sure to work the shampoo, conditioner, and water in well with your fingers, so the entire coat is cleaned.

Brushing

Caring for long haired dogs can be easy as long as you do simple regular maintenance. Long haired dogs need to be brushed every single day with a high-quality brush that works well with their particular hair and coat. Taking just a few minutes daily to brush will keep fur mat-free and looking fantastic. If you do find a mat, you can immediately use our emergency mat brush (link), which has been specifically designed to get out even tough mats of hair from your dog’s coat.

We have dedicated the work of our company to ensuring you have the best products to have what you need to maintain your dog’s long hair. Should you need anything or have a question, please let us know.

For groomers – What to know

Selecting dog shampoo for your pet grooming salon is a balance of fitting your budget while finding the best product available. When clients entrust their dogs to you, it is very important to deliver a high quality experience and return their best friend perfectly coiffed. We understand that you are running a business and therefore want the very best quality for the price. Our shampoos are safe, effective, and allow you to deliver a beautiful-looking pet each and every time.

For any dog groomer, one of the cornerstones of the grooming experience is the bath. The shampoo you use needs to outperform and satisfy your expectations as well as those of your most discerning clients. We know you have many choices when it comes to selecting dog shampoo for your salon: fragrance or fragrance-free, tearless, de-matting, de-shedding, deodorizing . . . how do you choose?

Avoid cheap dog shampoos

You may already know that buying the cheapest shampoo available can sometimes cost you a client’s business. Additionally, buying a lower quality shampoo risks adverse reactions in pets, which will not make for happy clients. They want for their pet to have the cleanest fur and skin, the best smell, and for them to be as safe as possible.

Here at Les Poochs, we know groomers. We know that you work hard for your money, and that your money should work hard for you. We also know you can be overwhelmed with many options when selecting dog shampoo to use in your business, and want to educate yourself on the important differences.

Avoid selecting dog shampoo containing soap

It is critical that you read labels and understand each and every ingredient. When selecting dog shampoo for your salon, make sure any shampoos you choose have safe ingredients for dogs, that they do not contain soap, and that they leave a dog’s coat looking and feeling luxurious.

Les Poochs shampoos are of the highest quality. We do not use any soap in them, since we know that soap can be drying to a dog’s coat and skin, and leave an unpleasant residue. Instead, our shampoos contain surfactant.

What is surfactant, and why is it important in a dog shampoo?

Surfactant-based shampoos promote lather and do not produce any suds at all. This is advantageous because suds and bubbles from soap are what causes residue and dandruff (dry, flaky skin) on a dog coat.

Our shampoos will give your clients’ pets the shiniest coat possible. You will also find that our shampoos are luxuriously fragrant, but not overbearing, with a pleasant and fresh scent.

We want your clients’ dogs to have “The best care” for THEIR “best friend.”

To all dog lovers out there, this season brings fantastic entertainment to show us the importance of connecting with your dog (your best furry friend). If you have taken a trip to the movies lately, you may have heard about Megan Leavey. The story is of an enlisted Marine who becomes a dog handler that trains with military dogs and eventually deploys to Iraq to uncover explosive devices with the dog combat soldiers.

Connecting with your dog: What we learned from watching Megan Leavey

This amazing story has made us here at Les Poochs realize that our own values in providing the best care for best friends is spot-on.  Following are the things we learned about how we connect with our dogs.

Your pet needs a significant amount of care

When you make the decision to own a pet, you take on tremendous amount of responsibility to care for their every need. This obviously includes food and water, but also, as we saw in the movie, making sure they are comfortable and have plenty of rest. We have designed our products, such as the Les Poochs line of high quality professional dog shampoo, to ensure that you have the products you need, to provide the best possible care for your pet.

Pets have endless amounts of love to give

All pets really want to do is belong. Have you noticed your pet can often be vying for your attention? Regardless of any day or situation, you probably can find your best friend lying at your feet, or close by. When you are having a bad day or even just a tense phone conversation, your pet may come over and attempt to give you love with a nuzzle or a snuggle. They can sense when you need love, and make it available to you.

Your pets’ instincts are incredible and they’re capable of amazing things

In the movie, dogs were trained to protect humans. And even in the news, we have seen and read stories of other dogs who have been trained to be on the alert for health problems in humans, like the ability to detect high blood sugar levels in diabetic owners. Beyond knowing when you are in need of love, your pet can also sense danger.

We applaud the efforts of Hollywood for sharing this story and reminding us all just how special our best furry friends are to our lives and families. How do you see yourself and your family connecting with your dog?

Following is some info about dog perfume that you may not know about.

When you have a posh pet, you want them smelling fresh, clean, and luxurious every single day. You may be tempted to spray your favorite fragrance on your best friend and have them match you! However, that is probably not a good idea. The perfume you use was specially formulated for human skin — both in terms of odor and safety.  Dog perfume is specially formulated to interact with a dog’s skin and natural smells, much in the same way.

Our team of perfumers, chemists, and pet industry professionals created our safe dog perfume to give your dog days’ worth of fresh scent.

The scent you get from a perfume or fragrance might not smell the same as when you whiff it from the bottle.  When you spray a perfume onto skin, clothing, or fur, it mixes with the oils, dust, and lotions, which may alter the scent.  The same is true for how scents work with a dog’s fur, as well as its skin, and natural odors.

When you want your dog smelling luxurious, you need a  perfume formulated by pet experts

Here at Les Poochs, all of our products are formulated with only dogs in mind.  When it comes to dog perfume, don’t forget that your dog’s nose needs to be considered, as well.  With dogs’ magnified sense of smell, you want to ensure that the fragrance is pleasant to them, as well.

Our dog perfume’s creators took great care to ensure quality ingredients correctly balanced for safety, and are the perfect scent.  They boast light scents that ensure that your pooch remains smelling fresh and pleasant.  We know not every owner wants their dog smelling the same way, so we have a variety of choices of dog perfume (for females and males, as well as for puppies).

Choosing the dog perfume is not just about smell 

It is also about making sure that the highest quality ingredients are used to ensure their skin, coat and nose are all protected.  Your best friend deserves the very best.

Handling tear staining for your dog can be a struggle

Handling dog tear stains can be a struggle.  You want your pet looking his or her best, but also want to make sure you are using specially formulated products to handle the problem safely.  A few years ago, the FDA shut down the distribution of tear stain removal products due to unsafe ingredients.

When your dog has tear staining, it means that they have overactive tear production, which causes the spots under your dog’s eyes.  Certain breeds of dogs such as Shih Tzus are more prone to the condition, and it can be more obvious when dogs have light-colored fur around their eyes.

A good first step to safely combat the problem is to discuss the situation with your vet and pet groomer.  These trained professionals can ensure that the tear production is normal, not harmful, and not the result of an underlying medical issue that needs further investigation.  Diet, exercise, and even certain medications can help alleviate any problems.

How long does it take for tear staining to clear?  Usually about three weeks.

Can you prevent tear staining?  Carefully and gently washing under your pet’s eyes with a damp soft cloth each morning is a good way to start.  Your groomer and veterinarian may have other safe suggestions for keeping the area clean.

No breed of dog is completely immune to tear staining, so don’t worry too much that there is something wrong with your dog.  A bit of preventive care and close attention to the under eye area will keep your best friend looking their absolute best!  

Every season is a fantastic time to get outside with your dog.  While most dog owners are accustomed to taking walks and exercising with their dogs, given the great weather, you may be looking for other kinds of fun activities with your dog, besides walking.

Try a new walking route in your area, or explore a new location

Major cities and small towns have walking routes for you and your dog to explore.  Leave lots of time for your dog to sniff new smells.

Go swimming with your dog

Swimming is one of the most fun activities you can enjoy with your dog. Find a pet-friendly place you can both swim. This can be a pool, lake, or even the ocean.  Let your dog splash in the water and cool off in the summer heat.  Don’t forget to bring a leash, and well as towels, to dry off your pooch before heading home.

Find volunteer activities with your dog

If your dog is generally friendly with other people, you and your best friend can bring joy to others who may be struggling a bit in life.  You can call a local nursing home, physical rehabilitation center, or even your local children’s hospital, to see if there are opportunities to visit.  Your local pet adoption center is another example of someplace that may look for volunteers, as well.

Take a class together

If you want to teach your dog some new tricks, a class is the perfect way to get the training you need.  Call a local trainer, or ask your groomer for suggestions.  With a little practice, you can have your dog fetching the paper, barking on command, or jumping to get a Frisbee.

Speaking of fetching . . .

Take your dog to an open area and let them chase balls, sticks and Frisbees that are under your control.  Take frequent breaks in the shade and always make sure your pet stays well hydrated.

Stay in a pet-friendly hotel

You and your dog will absolutely love the experience of a pet getaway.  If you plan correctly, you can visit a park nearby, a dog-friendly museum, dog-friendly winery, and even bring your dog to a restaurant, when allowed.

Your dog is part of your family and you should enjoy every single day having fun together.  Taking some time to enjoy a new and fun activities with your dog is important, and can provide you with great bonding time with your best friend.